How about just botcotting the pub and just ask for tap water when you go in. or better still dont go at all. hope the landlord loses his license for not providing a service within the terms of the usual contracts. and this goes to court under the Provision of Goods and Services legislation. The guy is a self destructive plonker! idiot too.

You sure they didn’t just say they would have refused a booking from any labour party group, I wonder if they would have alowed a lib dem LGBT group or a tory one? I’m all for critising homophobic comments but honesly what a fuss over an “alleged” comment and sending the police in as well..Didn’t LGBT labour tell them they were a LGBT group in the first place and anyway they got the booking – he didn’t cancel the agreement like the B&B issue? Haven’t labour party members got more useful things to get on their high horse on….what about campainging for gay marriage instead….

Who hasn’t met a right wing person in a pub? Agree they need some grief back but this sounds like total overkill – and very unlikely to be the policy of the central company who would may well have sorted it out immediately if told. A hissy fit on facebook is absurd at this stage

Overkill. He didn’t refuse the booking, and he didn’t incite hatred. By all means show displeasure at the homophobia, but it’s so obviously not a police matter, running to the police just discredits and makes justified cases more difficult to pursue.

If these allegations are accurate, this is a disgraceful homophobic and bigoted attitude towards fellow LGBTs. LGBTory, the Conservative LGBT group, fully supports LGBT Labour in their swift action in involving the police and in gaining justice for both their group and for LGBT people generally.

@Maria – “Is there a mistake in John Prescott’s reported comments, or does he really fully back them?” – it’s clumsily worded, as many tweets can be as you’ve only got 140 letters to get across your point, but Prescott means he fully backs the complaints and campaign against the pub.

Sorry I know this article has nothing to do with this (at least not much)- Cosy Downing Street Reception Has Pink News Firmly Wedged Between Gordon Brown’s Buttocks http://www.mother-ship.com/blog/pink-news-lose-teeth-after-downing-street-butt-ering-up-2204/#ixzz0q5MZB3Cy but all this supposedly cosying up between pinknews and labour is so worrying – how on earth does this story get into pinknews? As far as I can see there doesn’t seem to be a story yet and everybody has gone on their high horse about an alleged comment from a pub landlord! I know labour have got much to do nowadays but honestly can’t they find something a bit more useful , perhpas think up a better gay manifesto for the next election….

That the landlord didn’t know they were an LGBT group in advance is irrelevant. He has stated that he would have banned them had he known, so in effect there is a ban on LGBT groups at that pub. This isn’t one theoretical incident that didn’t actually happen, it is a continuing discriminatory policy on the part of the landlord. Exactly the kind of thing the Goods & Services laws are in place to stop.

I don’t think it’s fair to boycott Punch Taverns, a group who own the pub in question, but to write to them and let them know that the manager of one of their pubs is a homophobic bigot and that is hurting their business and it would be in the best interests of the company, the pub and the public who use it to remove the staff member in question who made the homophobic remarks. Because by letting this bigot run the pub is hurting the business of the company and also insulting a minority who otherwise would be happy to use the pub. No doubt Punch Taverns have a strict policy in place about discrimination they can fall back on to deal with this idiot.

Philip,I am not an apologist for anyone. That was uncalled for. With better things to do with my life than trawl Twitter, I simply asked if this was for real. In any case, if a bunch of Twitter posts are the ‘evidence’ that’s still not much of a case. All I’m saying is the story seems a bit thin.

Has the world gone mad??? 100 people walk in a pub, it aint gonna be calm, organised or easy 2 get a pint, someone has 2 wait a while, gets their hair off, is told they’re not gettin served then plays the gay card!!! For gods sake, if he is a bigot fair play abuse him , but a guy shot 12 people last week and he’s not had this much sh**!!! I suspect if the landlord was homophobic he wouldn’t work in London, let alone with the public and who’s ever crazy idea it was 2 demand a rainbow flag outside the pub is absurd. I suspect one of the group has misbehaved and turned the tables and as for the Labour support round the country, what a joke exactly why you don’t run this country anymore.

Punch Taverns have issued a press release today, the morning after the incident, which states that the manager involved will not be on site until a full investigation has been undertaken involving staff, the Police and members of the LGBT group. They have apologised and have stressed that if the incident took place as described then it is not acceptable. They state that they have contacted all their bars to remind staff of the kind of behaviour they expect with regards to equality.

If the incident did take place as reported then the LGBT group has done the right thing in making it public knowledge, but I think it is a little hasty to organise a boycott of the bar or the chain when the management company seem genuinely committed to ensuring this sort of thing doesn’t take place in their premises.

Every company is going to have staff who don’t present it in the best possible light and fail to adhere to policy. What really matters is what the company does about it when such failings are brought to their attention and in this case I think that Punch Taverns seem to be taking swift and decisive action. Let’s see what the outcome is before calling on people to boycott them eh?

Oh and there’s a perfectly fine gay bar about 5-10 minutes walk away – The Stag. Any reason the LGBT group didn’t give their business to that bar? Should we be decrying them for discriminating against a gay business by drinking elsewhere – or would that be a ridiculous over-response? Hmmm…

This story got into Pink News, Susan, because it is about LGBT people being refused service. According to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/10249335.stm), the statement of intent was made only AFTER the duty manager refused to serve the WHOLE GROUP (NOT one individual being made to wait and “playing the gay card”)Perhaps you should look at this, and the other comments on here before claiming this is a non-story. Who sponsors your comments, the BNP?

Time to chill, the big picture is they didnt get a drink there was a gay bar down the road why didnt they go there??? A licensee has the right to refuse service to anyone!!!! There are bigger more important issues in the world than some peolpe not getting served in a pub then spending the whole weekend going on about it!! Plenty of straight meetings are refused service in many a city throughout the weekend, stop making a fuss!!!!

The big picture is that refusing goods/services on the grounds of sexuality is illegal. “Stop making a fuss” is exactly the sort of attitude that kept us criminalised for so long. Homophobia needs to be challenged.

There is NO factual evidence as yet so chill out, this is exactly the kind of behaviour that gives us a bad name over the top and bloody dramatic!!! If the guy turns out 2 be homophobic fair play, but just back up and chill out thought it was innocent til proven guilty!!